Paths

Graphic Design

A Graphic Designer must correctly use typography, imagery, composition, layout, and color to solve visual communication problems. Common uses of graphic design include identity (logos and branding), publications (magazines, newspapers and books), print advertisements, posters, billboards, website graphics and elements, signs and product packaging. For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as images, shapes and color which unify the piece.... Read moreRead less

Beginner

The first section of courses will give you a solid understanding of many of the tools employed by graphic designers. This section includes a deep dive into Photoshop Smart Objects, working with type in Photoshop and in Illustrator, setting up tables in InDesign, as well as additional tips and tools to help you become more productive when working in InDesign.

1

Photoshop CC Selections

Description

This course covers how to effectively create selections inside of Adobe Photoshop. Mastering selections is the first step in becoming a good Photoshop user. We cover a wide range of topics from basic selection concepts like feathering and anti-aliasing, to more advanced selection techniques using the Color Range command and nested masks. We wrap up the class by looking at some practical uses of selections like creating targeted adjustments and compelling photo composites.

Table of contents

Welcome

51s

Review of Selection Basics

39m 8s

Selection Techniques

43m 3s

Applying Targeted Adjustments

33m 13s

Creating Composite Images

28m 37s

2

Working with the Type Tool in Photoshop

Description

In this series of Photoshop tutorials, we'll be using the type tool in Photoshop. We'll start by getting familiar with the type tool and learning the difference between point text and area text. We'll also go over some shortcuts that will save us time when formatting type. Next, we'll go over transforming and warping text to give it perspective in a scene. We'll then talk about formatting and we'll learn about character and paragraph styles and how they can really speed up the workflow with making changes or revisions to formatted text. We'll finish this Photoshop training by customizing an area text box to allow us to wrap text around a graphic. This course goes over methods for working with and formatting text and by the end of this course you'll understand and be able to layout type in Photoshop. Software required: Photoshop CC 2014.1.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

54s

Working with the Type Tool in Photoshop

46m 4s

3

Understanding the Pen Tool in Photoshop

Description

Photoshop's pen tool allows for a lot of precision when it comes to defining very specific selections, masks, line work, and vector shapes and can actually save you lot of time getting the results that you want when creating them. We'll begin covering the basic functionality of the pen tool by learning how to set anchor points to create a path. Following this we'll see how we can adjust the placement of anchor points in addition to their bezier handles to dictate the direction and curvature of a path by using the direct selection and convert point tools. From here we'll learn how to apply a selection, stroke, and fill to paths. As we continue on we'll also discuss how we can use the pen tool to create vector based shapes. Along the way we'll also discuss how to save paths, use path operations, and work with the freeform pen tool. After watching this tutorial you'll be better equipped to use the pen tool on your own projects with confidence. Software required: Photoshop CC 2014.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 16s

Understanding the Pen Tool in Photoshop

1h 35s

4

Photoshop CC Smart Objects

Description

Smart Objects preserve an image's source content with all its original characteristics, enabling you to perform nondestructive editing to the layer. In this course, we'll review the various ways you can create Smart Objects and some best practices for working with them in Adobe Photoshop CC. Software required: Adobe Photoshop CC.

Table of contents

Smart Objects Introduction

52s

Understanding Smart Objects

59m 32s

5

Creating Templates in Illustrator

Description

In this Illustrator tutorial we'll demonstrate some of Illustrator's tools and features that can be used to create your own templates. Creating a template provides a lot of freedom when it comes to customization and collaboration with others in your organization. Anyone who opens a template can make updates and changes without accidentally saving over the template itself. For our first example, we'll create a business card where we'll begin by establishing our art-board's dimensions and discussing the importance of having a bleed. From here we'll learn how to apply crop marks for printing and a safe area for our text and logo. In addition, we'll see how we can save our business card as a template. For our second example, we'll create a template for a postcard that has some specific regulations in regards to the placement of text. Along the way we'll see how we can use the alignment and transform options to help us layout our templates with precision. Finally, we'll finish this Illustrator training by discussing some settings to consider when exporting your template as a PDF. After watching this tutorial you'll be able to begin creating your templates. Software required: Illustrator CC 17.1.0.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 15s

Creating Templates in Illustrator

44m 50s

6

Designing Tables in InDesign

Description

In this InDesign tutorial, we'll learn the process of creating, working with and customizing tables. We'll start by taking a look at how we can convert text to tables. We'll talk about how the formatting of the text plays a big part in how many rows and columns the table will have. Next, we'll go over creating a new table from scratch. We'll learn how to customize cells by changing the fill and stroke of cells and some different ways we can add graphics to our table. We'll also talk about ways that we can merge and divide cells to get exactly the look we need. We'll finish by talking about methods of placing a table inside a cell for ultimate customization. By the end of this InDesign training, you'll be a wizard at making your own custom tables for your pamphlet, annual report, brochure, or poster.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 3s

Designing Tables in InDesign

1h 7m 56s

7

Down and Dirty Tips and Tricks in InDesign

Description

In this InDesign tutorial, we'll learn some tips and tricks to help you save time and energy. We'll start by taking a look at how we can place multiple images quickly and maintain control of the layout and spacing. We'll also take a look at great ways to edit our content. We'll learn methods to change the look of our layouts and affect multiple objects. Finally, we'll take a look at how we can efficiently create and customize polygons that can often be tedious. By the end of this InDesign training, you'll be able to knock out your next project with less headaches. Software required: InDesign CC 2015.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

49s

Down and Dirty Tips and Tricks in InDesign

22m 38s

Intermediate

After getting a solid understanding of many of the common tools found within Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, you’re ready to put that knowledge to use in a variety of practical projects. This section of tutorials will take you through several projects intended to sharpen your design skills and expand your knowledge of the software. You’ll learn how to develop eye-catching advertisements and brochures, manipulate and retouch photos for visual impact and the best practices for approaching and overcoming many common design challenges.

8

Designing a Proper Invitation in Illustrator

Description

In this course, we'll tackle designing a print-ready invitation in Illustrator. We'll start by setting up our artboards. We'll figure out what size our invitation and enclosure card needs to be and the accompanying envelopes. Then we'll pull in our information and begin the layout process. We'll choose a typeface that fits our theme and place artwork. Next we will take a look at how we can create our own envelopes or print on ready-made envelopes. We'll also learn how to create a pattern and a belly band to hold all our items securely. By the end of this Illustrator tutorial, you'll be ready to start creating your own wedding or party invitations. Software required: Illustrator CC 2015.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

49s

Designing a Proper Invitation in Illustrator

1h 47m 32s

9

Creating a Multi-Page Brochure Layout in InDesign

Description

In this InDesign tutorial, we'll be going through the steps of creating a multi-page brochure. We'll start by setting up our document. We'll talk about how the desired final product will influence many settings of our document setup. Next we'll begin importing and formatting text and images for our brochure. We'll set up paragraph and character styles that will streamline our layout process. We'll also take a look at how we can use master pages to apply a graphic style to a page very easily that even includes automatic page numbers. Once we're finished laying out our brochure, we'll take a look at how we can output the document by printing a booklet, packaging up the files for a printer and creating a print-ready PDF. By the end of this InDesign training you'll be familiar with the tools you'll need to manipulate text, re-size artwork and design your own project. Software required: InDesign CC.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m

Creating a Multi-Page Brochure Layout in InDesign

1h 37m 23s

10

Developing Unified Asset Systems in Illustrator

Description

In this Illustrator tutorial, we'll learn a mixture of both the theory of unification for asset families as well as the tools we can use to make our jobs a little easier. Every graphic designer encounters having to design a series of objects that go together in some way, shape, or form. Maybe it's illustrations for a poster, or icons for a website or signage. No matter what you're tasked with, as a designer you need to know how to elegantly design icons that capture the essence of what you're trying to show while still maintaining unification with the rest of their asset family. By the end of this Illustrator training, you'll have a better understanding of what makes an icon stand out in a bad way and how to fix it, as well as how not to make these types of mistakes in the first place by better managing your fills, strokes, colors, and gradients. Software required: Illustrator CC 2015.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 6s

Developing Unified Asset Systems in Illustrator

58m 28s

11

Developing Symbol Systems in Illustrator

Description

In this series of Illustrator tutorials, we learn about the usage and design process of symbol systems. There are so many things in our world today that rely on symbol systems as a means for communication. Anything from a website, to a game, to a movie, can contain some sort of graphical symbol system. When you need to design a symbol system, there are a lot of things you need to keep in mind to ensure that the system meshes with the identity that the system is a part of. We learn all about these rules and uses throughout the first half of the course. In the latter half, we dive into a mini design project for symbol creation with some really fun subject matter. You'll learn the tools for quickly developing symbols in Illustrator and making them cohesive through an initial sketching process. By the end of the Illustrator training, you'll not only be able to identify when a symbol system is right for your project, but you'll also know how to design one to best fit your needs. Software required: Illustrator 18.0.0, Photoshop 20140508.r.58 x64.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 7s

Developing Symbol Systems in Illustrator

1h 59m 49s

12

Designing a Product Advertisement in Illustrator

Description

In this series of tutorials, we'll be designing a product ad for print in Illustrator. We will start by setting up the artboard for our document. We'll begin by placing the artwork and copy for our ad, which also contains the instructions from our client. We'll go over the importance of color in our ad and why just picking different colors isn't always the best method for creating contrast. We'll also learn how to use Typekit to browse and add fonts to our library. We'll finish by creating different layout options for our client to choose from and then package up our ad for print. This course goes over the process for using Illustrator to create a print-ready ad, and by the end of this course, you'll be familiar with the steps necessary for creating a clean layout with legible text that will make your client and printer happy. Software required: Adobe Illustrator CC 2014.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

52s

Designing a Product Advertisement in Illustrator

54m 2s

13

Creating Persuasive Imagery Through Photo-manipulation in Photoshop

Description

We'll begin this process by establishing our visual topic, examining some conceptual sketches and discussing some visual parameters that will provide us with a road map to follow as we develop our photo-manipulated image. Along the way we'll spend several lessons in Photoshop weaving together various images to construct our project. From here we'll see how smart objects, smart filters, layer masks, blend modes, and adjustment layers can help us achieve the look and feel we are aiming for on this project. In addition to these helpful tools and features, we'll also spend time painting and applying some textures to refine our photo-manipulated image and make it shine. After watching this training, you'll have the inspiration to create your own photo-manipulation projects whether they're for editorial articles or ad campaigns. Software required: Photoshop CC 14.2.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 5s

Creating Persuasive Imagery Through Photo-manipulation in Photoshop

2h 6s

14

Creating Photo Manipulations for Advertising with Photoshop

Description

In this Photoshop tutorial, we will learn how to go about creating a custom photo manipulation in Photoshop for an advertising campaign. After talking about our concept and gathering some images to use, we will dive right in and begin preparing a base image for our ad. Here we'll learn about masking techniques as well as some of the powerful healing tools that Photshop has. From here we will begin the process of recreating the legs of our model in water form. Over several lessons we will learn the process of creating very specific displacement maps for our image. We will finish our image off by adding water and wetness to other areas of our base image including the model's shoes and pavement. Upon completion of this tutorial, you will have learned several advanced techniques for compositing together a photo manipulation with advertising in mind. Software required: Photoshop CS6.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 9s

Creating Photo Manipulations for Advertising with Photoshop

3h 6m 32s

15

Retouching Photos and Adding Visual Effects in Photoshop

Description

In this Photoshop tutorial, we will learn how to create striking visual effects solely in Photoshop. Throughout these lessons, we will look at different steps that will allow you to create your own vibrant effects and apply them to photos to create a work of art. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a solid understanding of composition placement and lighting knowledge, as well as how to create visual effects, retouch them, and manipulate them. Software required: Adobe Photoshop CS5.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

44s

Retouching Photos and Adding Visual Effects in Photoshop

1h 50m 2s

Advanced

Your final section of this learning path will move away from individual projects, and focus more on the overall guiding principles and theories that govern good graphic design. You will gain a deeper understanding of the principles behind color theory, identity and brand, as well as logo design and typeface development.

16

Color Theory for Today's Creative Professionals

Description

No matter which creative industry you plan on stepping into, they all have at least one thing in common: strong grasp of color theory is an absolute must. In this course, we will make learning the basics of color fun and easy to understand. First we'll break down color and learn three different ways to describe it. Next we'll learn about additive and subtractive color models before spending some time with the color wheel learning about color harmonies and color temperature. We will wrap things up by learning how color relationships affect our perception of color and how color can affect our moods and emotions. After completing this course, you'll have a solid foundation of color knowledge on which to build going forward with your creative career. Software required: Photoshop CS6, Illustrator CS6.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 7s

Color Theory for Today's Creative Professionals

1h 11m 3s

17

Understanding the Relationship Between Logo, Identity, and Brand

Description

Understanding the relationship between a logo, an identity and branding is critical for a graphic designer. While these three are all related, they are in fact very different. In this course we will begin to explore this relationship by walking through the creative process for our client, mantra spa. After taking a moment to learn the difference between a logo, an identity, and a brand, we will learn about the creation of a creative brief for mantra spa. Next, we will continue through the creative process learning about concepts that come up during the sketching and building of a logo in Illustrator. During the last few lessons of this course we will learn how the identity for mantra spa can be established by creating a style guide or graphics standards manual. After completing this course, you will not only know the difference between logo design, identity design, and branding, but you will also have a solid understanding of the steps that should be taken by a designer to help a new client establish each one. Software required: .

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 16s

Understanding the Relationship Between Logo, Identity, and Brand

1h 29m 28s

18

The Secrets to Designing Great Logos

Description

In this series of tutorials, we'll learn the process for creating the most effective logos. It doesn't start with a great idea, something you saw, or a suggestion. It all starts with asking the right questions and doing your research. We take the time to learn why the research is important, and what you can discover along the way. We also learn about different types of logos, as well as the situations when they are the most effective. One type of logo may be great for some companies and not so great for others. We'll also learn about the meanings of colors and how they play an integral part in the perception of the logo. While discussing color, we touch on the differences between eastern and western cultures and how these can effect the color choices of brands that are meant to be globally marketed. We also do our own case study of putting these principles to work and creating a logo from the research, to the concept sketches, to the vector adaptation, and to the final colorized piece. This training is for you if you find yourself feeling stuck when you sit down to design a logo. If you think the best place to start your research is by looking at other logos online then you need to watch this tutorial as soon as possible! By the end of the training, you'll have the knowledge and a roadmap for the process of creating effective and long-lasting logos. Software required: Illustrator CC 2014.0.0, Photoshop CC 2014.0.0.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 30s

The Secrets to Designing Great Logos

1h 26m 5s

19

Keys to Amazing Graphic Design Layouts

Description

When a designer sits down to create any type of project, they have one goal in mind. Communicate a message to my target audience. But if you've ever wondered why design elements end up where they do, whether it be a picture, a graphic or some letters, then this course is for you. We'll break down eight core principles of composition and how they relate to graphic designers. We will begin with movement, but continue on and learn about contrast, proximity, rhythm, emphasis, balance, variety, and unity. To wrap this course up, we will put together a simple layout inside InDesign to put some of these principles into practice. After completing this course, you'll be equipped with a wealth of knowledge that will allow you to immediately begin improving the compositions of your design projects. Software required: InDesign CS6, Illustrator CS6, Photoshop CS6.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 6s

Keys to Amazing Graphic Design Layouts

2h 10m 51s

20

Creating and Stylizing Statistical Information in Illustrator

Description

In this series of tutorials, we will be using graphs and charts to visualize data and learn how we can customize them to make them more appealing. We will start by getting familiar with the pie graph and how we can enter data to the worksheet to see results in our graph. We'll then move on to column and area graphs and learn what a data set is and how it is translated to our graphs. Next, we'll learn the importance of legends and labels and how we can get them to look intentional. We'll also combine different graph types in the same visualization and learn how we can format color and type for our graph. We'll finish by learning how we can use graphics in place of columns and markers in our graphs and also how we can customize the appearance of our graphics to get the best result. This course will teach you how to use many different graph types in Illustrator and by the end of this course you'll be more comfortable adding graphs to your report or data visualization and will have a solid understanding of how you can customize them to match your design. Software required: Illustrator CC 2015.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 7s

Creating and Stylizing Statistical Information in Illustrator

1h 21m 2s

21

Creating a Secure Form with Acrobat DC

Description

In this series of tutorials, we will be learning that there's more to Acrobat than just looking at PDFs. We will be using the great tools in Acrobat to create a form from an existing PDF. First, we will get familiar with the new interface of Acrobat DC and open our file. We'll use the Prepare Form tool to recognize any places in our document where a form field would go. Next, we'll take a look at how we can customize the fields that were generated by formatting the field value to things like currency and date. We'll also learn how to create new fields and radio buttons and how we can easily arrange and align these fields. Once we're finished with our form, we'll send it out for signatures and take a look at what the end user will experience. And finally, we'll take a look at how we can extend the usability of Acrobat Reader users and also password-protect our file. This course goes over the tools necessary to create a form in Acrobat DC; by the end of this course, you will know how to create your own form from scratch or use an existing file to customize and send to your clients. Software required: Acrobat DC.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 4s

Creating a Secure Form with Acrobat DC

24m 38s

22

Creating a Custom Typeface in Illustrator and FontForge

Description

In this Illustrator and FontForge tutorial, we'll go through the steps of creating a custom typeface. We'll start by defining the need for our typeface and what we want it to look like. Then we'll then begin sketching out our glyphs in Photoshop. Once we're happy with our sketches, we'll begin the transition to vector by using Illustrator. We'll use the Pen tool to plot out the shapes of our glyphs and prepare them for a font editor. We'll then get the feel for how FontForge works by importing our vector glyphs and making adjustments. Once we are happy with the glyphs we create, we'll learn what we need to do in FontForge to export as an OpenType font. By the end of this Illustrator and FontForge training, you'll have an understanding of what it takes to make your own slab serif and brush script. Software required: Illustrator CC 2015, Photoshop CC 2015, FontForge.

Table of contents

Introduction and Project Overview

1m 2s

Creating a Custom Typeface in Illustrator and FontForge

2h 3m

23

Creation and Integration of a Display Font in Illustrator

Description

In this Illustrator tutorial we will learn how to design illustrations and type using a variety of basic and complex shapes, as well as incorporating elements of line art. Some of the key takeaways from watching this tutorial include: learning how to create simple illustrations using shapes and stylistic elements, designing complex illustrations based on the techniques learned, constructing a display font from scratch and transforming your type, and illustration into other design mediums ranging from iconography to logos and graphic objects. Software required: Adobe Illustrator CS5.